We tend to think of AI as the domain of Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Indeed, the United States has long been at the forefront of AI development. In addition to its robust private sector, its federal agencies employ AI for everything from synthesizing veterans’ feedback about service quality to predicting extreme weather events. City governments are also using AI. The City of Memphis, Tennessee, for example, has worked with Google to use AI-enabled cameras mounted on city vehicles to identify and classify potholes for filling. Together with other data-powered methods, the effort helped identify 75 percent more potholes than manual processes did, and simplified a task that typically takes 32,000 hours of city employees’ time each year.
But other countries are racing to develop and implement AI systems of their own. From AI-powered chatbots guiding citizens through bureaucratic roadblocks in Portugal to algorithms optimizing urban planning in Singapore, governments are exploring diverse AI applications. Each region’s historical, economic, and social context shapes its approach to advancing AI. Some regions shine in certain areas but fumble in others, each offering valuable lessons on what works, what doesn’t, and what should be avoided when it comes to AI.
Each region’s historical, economic, and social context shapes its approach to advancing AI.
Europe: Balancing Innovation and Safety
Europe boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for data privacy and security, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and is now introducing the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. This new legislation aims to streamline AI policy by intricately categorizing AI systems based on risk levels, with strict regulations on high-risk applications that could potentially exploit people’s vulnerabilities, manipulate their decisions, or classify them based on personal traits, as is the case in predictive policing.
While designed to protect citizens, the stringent regulations could potentially stifle innovation or slow the adoption of beneficial AI technologies.
“If the idea is to facilitate the development and the deployment of low or non-risk applications, the risk division is on the one hand fuzzy and on the other hand too rigid to handle specific contexts,” Virginia Dignum, who sits on the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, says.
While Europe is often perceived as cautious, its approach to AI is quite diverse and multifaceted. Estonia, Finland, and Denmark have made significant strides in incorporating AI into government operations and are often lauded as examples of how to do it right.
But other countries are catching up, recognizing the potential of AI to transform public services and improve citizen engagement. Portugal, for example, launched a chatbot through its Justice Practical Guide 2023 to answer citizen queries about marriage, divorce, and setting up a new business. These chatbots are designed with privacy and data protection in mind, adhering to the strict standards set by the GDPR.
“What works in Denmark may not work in Portugal or Slovenia,” says Dignum. Getting it right requires special attention to value-alignment processes. “What is being optimized here: service efficiency or citizen care?” She stresses the need for participatory, transparent, and democratically evaluated implementation processes. “It should never completely block access to person-to-person interaction [and should] account for a diversity of citizens.”
This approach ensures that AI enhances rather than replaces human interaction in government services.
Middle East: Ambition Meets Practicality
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, are fully committed to embracing AI. They’ve positioned themselves as AI powerhouses, laying forward a series of ambitious national strategies, such as the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
The challenge in the region now is translating these forward-thinking plans into practical applications that integrate AI into every aspect of public life, from education and health care to transportation and government services.
“GCC countries are equally focused on practical AI applications that impact daily life,” Jassim Haji, a former IT executive at Gulf Air and prominent AI expert in the region, says. “The emphasis is on using AI to enhance government services, improve public health responses, and streamline citizen interactions with authorities.”
This commitment is evident in various initiatives across the region. For example, Saudi Arabia’s e-government portal, my.gov.sa, uses AI-powered chatbots to guide citizens through complex public services. In Bahrain, the BeAware Bahrain app, launched in response to the coronavirus pandemic, uses AI for contact tracing, facial recognition, and exposure alerts. “With over a million downloads, it highlights Bahrain’s digital readiness, supported by high mobile penetration and a robust ICT infrastructure,” Haji says.
Bahrain’s Tawasul platform, which “integrates AI for natural language processing, chatbot assistance, and predictive analytics to handle citizen inquiries and complaints,” is another practical application that balances ease of use with user privacy by adhering to local data protection laws, according to Haji.
Despite these advancements, the region faces significant challenges in fully realizing its AI ambitions. “The most significant challenges include addressing the local AI talent gap, ensuring the availability of high-quality data while safeguarding privacy, adapting regulatory frameworks to keep pace with technological advancements, and integrating AI into existing infrastructure,” Haji explains.
Asia: Pragmatic Approaches and Rapid Adoption
Across Asia, the approach to AI adoption in government services reflects an ethos that prioritizes tangible applications and real-world results, often as part of broader digital-transformation initiatives.
Asia, as a whole, is a hotbed of digital innovation, thanks to the rapid expansion of digital public infrastructure and hefty investments propelling tech growth. Economies here are not just testing the waters; they’re diving in headfirst, quickly scaling these technologies to new heights.
Asia is a hotbed of digital innovation, thanks to the rapid expansion of digital public infrastructure and hefty investments propelling tech growth.
Singapore, in particular, has been a front-runner in integrating AI for urban planning and management as part of a wider approach to digitalization. “Smart Nation is Singapore’s overall strategy for digitizing the nation, and AI is one component,” explains Jun-E Tan, an AI governance researcher. The initiative leverages AI and IoT technologies to optimize traffic flow, energy consumption, and more.
Other Southeast Asian nations are following suit, albeit at varying paces. Malaysia’s journey, while less publicized than Singapore’s, is equally telling of the region’s approach. The country has laid out a series of policy frameworks, including the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and the National 4IR Policy, positioning AI as a keystone in its digital arch. Yet the on-ground implementation remains in its infancy.
“The use of AI for government services is still nascent within Malaysia,” Tan says.
This measured approach is not unique to Malaysia. Across the region, governments are prioritizing readiness and foundational understanding over hasty implementation.
Take India’s Unified Payments Interface, which deploys AI-powered chatbots to simplify financial transactions, eliminating the need for users to navigate through complex menus. It’s a stellar example of how pragmatic, hands-on approaches catapult these regions to the forefront of the AI revolution.
India’s success lies in its incrementalist approach. The country focuses on gradual, practical development goals while prioritizing reliability, security, and safety in its platforms. China, on the other hand, offers a more controversial case study with its social credit system. This algorithm assigns citizens a score based on traits such as citizenship and civic behavior. While it raises significant surveillance concerns, it demonstrates how the boundaries are being pushed in what’s possible—and what’s acceptable—in the realm of AI-driven public policy.
Africa: Leapfrogging Traditional Development
Africa is experiencing an AI revolution, driven by a young population, mobile technology, and a determination to overcome challenges. This has allowed the continent to leapfrog traditional development stages and emerge as a global innovator in AI adoption.
“In Mozambique, health-care workers are using AI to detect tuberculosis, and in East Africa, they are integrating AI tools into weather forecasting to better prepare for climate events,” notes Rob Lloyd, the director of Innovation and Digital Policy at the African Center for Economic Transformation.
Mobile technology plays a pivotal role in this transformation. AI-enabled platforms are breaking barriers, making education, financial services, and health diagnostics accessible to populations previously left behind. “For public service delivery, it is not one area of AI application, but rather the cumulative development impact when more people have access to better and faster services,” Lloyd explains.
In urban centers, a different kind of AI revolution is unfolding. Metropolitan hubs such as Lagos in Nigeria, Nairobi in Kenya, Cape Town in South Africa, and Cairo in Egypt are becoming meccas of AI innovation as they work toward smart city solutions. “Nairobi is adopting AI tools to help manage traffic congestion, and Lagos is using AI to predict public infrastructure weaknesses,” Lloyd notes.
The contrast between rural and urban AI applications highlights both the versatility of the technology and the unique challenges faced across the continent. As Lloyd emphasizes, “At this point in time, it is critical that nations, cities, utilities, and other service providers are sharing knowledge and lessons learned.”
Latin America: LA Patchwork of Progress
Latin America, spanning more than 7 million square miles and encompassing 33 countries, is the unsung player in the global AI scene. But this region’s approach to AI is as varied as its cultures and landscapes. Economic disparities between its nations split the region into AI front-runners and laggards.
Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia are leading the way in AI development. Argentina’s Prometea, an AI virtual assistant for judicial officials, showcases the potential for AI in government services. This system predicts case solutions and provides information to assemble case files, freeing judicial officials from repetitive tasks and potentially streamlining the justice system.
But this progress is far from uniform. While some nations sprint ahead, others lag behind, held back by a preexisting digital divide. Other countries grapple with underdeveloped infrastructure and limited resources and find themselves on the slower track of AI adoption.
“LATAM 4.0 tackles the fragmentation of AI development across Latin America and the Caribbean by offering collaborative instruments for governments, businesses, academic institutions, and civil society,” explains Felipe Castro Quiles, co-founder of the LATAM 4.0 project. “We aim to enhance cooperation, share development resources, align strategies in AI initiatives, and centralize public data while decentralizing decision-making.”
This fragmentation is evident in the region’s approach to emerging technologies. Take cryptocurrency, for instance. El Salvador made headlines by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, aiming to boost financial inclusion, and the country is now pursuing ambitious AI initiatives through a Google partnership to modernize government services. In stark contrast, Bolivia banned cryptocurrencies outright, citing fraud concerns. Meanwhile, Brazil and Mexico have taken a middle path, embracing established crypto exchanges and global financial networks.
While some nations sprint ahead, others lag behind, held back by a preexisting digital divide.
Unlike the European Union, Latin America lacks a central governing body to coordinate AI efforts across the continent. Each country charts its own course, guided by its unique resources and priorities. This decentralized approach has its advantages, as it allows for tailored solutions, but it also presents challenges in creating a unified regional AI strategy.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer a promising path forward. Castro Quiles advocates for a partner-shoring approach: “This includes tailoring AI models to local industrial strengths that drive development based on native contexts. An updated PPP approach can foster a more inclusive digital ecosystem by leveraging local knowledge and expertise.”
As Latin America navigates its AI future, the key to success may lie in harnessing the power of collaboration. By pooling resources, sharing expertise, and creating cross-border synergies, the region can amplify its strengths and mitigate its weaknesses. The path ahead is challenging, but with unity and innovation, Latin America has the potential to carve out its own unique space in the global AI landscape.
